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Wind Energy Factsheet

There is currently 19.5 MW of wind power capacity installed per 1,000 km of land area in the EU, with the highest densities in Denmark and Germany.

For every kWh of wind energy used, approximately 696g of CO2 will be avoided.

Wind provides 26% of electricity in Denmark, while Portugal and Spain get around 16% of electricity from wind power respectively, followed by Ireland (12%) and Germany (11%).

Wind turbines can generate electricity for 20-25 years and over their lifetime they will be running continuously for as much as 120,000 hours.

An average onshore wind turbine with a capacity of 2.5–3 MW can produce more than 6 million kWh in a year – enough to supply 1,500 average EU households with electricity.

In 2012, wind energy avoided £9.6bn of fossil fuel costs and will avoid £22-27bn of fuel costs a year by 2020, increasing to £47-51bn by 2030.

By 2020, EWEA estimates that 230 GW (including 40 GW offshore) of wind power capacity will be installed in the EU, meeting 15-17% of the EU’s electricity demand (4.2% from offshore). By 2050, EWEA estimates that wind power will meet 50% of the EU’s electricity demand.

A 2013 Eurobarometer study found that 70% of EU citizens think that renewable energy should be prioritised as an energy option for the next 30 years.

In 2012, around 249,000 people were directly and indirectly employed by the European wind energy sector – a significant increase from the 182,628 employed in 2007. By 2020 it is predicted that more than 520,000 people will be employed by wind energy and by 2030 that will be up to 795,000.

Offshore wind farms can provide regeneration areas for fish and other sea creatures because they reduce trawling activity and because the foundations of the turbines act as an artificial reef.

Birdlife, WWF and Greenpeace are all supporters of wind energy, with Birdlife recently stating that climate change is the single largest threat to birds and wind and renewables were a clear solution to climate change.